You've probably heard someone rave about this superfood. Or maybe you've come across it in a recipe book or seen it listed as an ingredient on a packet. Matcha is everywhere, but it has long been a well-kept secret from Japan. That is finally changing! More and more people and coffee shops are discovering matcha and its health benefits and versatility.

Matcha is a green tea powder, but at the same time so much more than that. It is cultivated in Japan, where Zen Buddhists have been using it for centuries in their famous tea ceremonies. Nowadays, matcha is an integral part of Japanese culture and is finally finding its way to the West. Because we love it too! To discover what makes matcha so special, let's first take a look at its production process, because the two are inextricably linked.

How is matcha made?

Like all other teas, matcha is made from the Camellia Sinensis tea plant. The unique properties that distinguish matcha from other green teas lie in the way the plant is used. Matcha plantations are covered with black cloth or reeds four weeks before harvest, so that the plants receive 90% less sunlight. To compensate for the lack of sunlight, the leaves produce a lot of amino acids and the plants produce extra chlorophyll. This is what gives matcha its beautiful emerald green colour and why it is also called green gold!

When the leaves are at their greenest, the youngest leaves are carefully picked by hand to be processed into pure powder. The selected leaves are steamed and dried. The veins and stems are separated with the utmost care, so that only the leaf remains. Finally, the leaves are ground into powder by a millstone, taking into account the temperature of the stone so as not to affect the taste. The entire process requires so much precision and concentration that only thirty grams of Matcha can be produced per hour. And that's not much!

Why is matcha so healthy?

Thanks to all the extra hard work of the tea plant, matcha tea leaves are bursting with healthy nutrients, such as disease-fighting antioxidants, the calming substance L-theanine and various vitamins and minerals. And this is just a small selection of the healthy powers that Matcha contains!

What's more, you should realise that with matcha, you are drinking the entire tea leaf, so to speak, and therefore benefiting 100% from the healthy effects of matcha. Now think about how many beneficial substances you actually throw away when you throw the tea bag in the bin after a normal cup of tea: almost 90%. Not with matcha!